By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
MOREHEAD, Ky. – A 4-2 start to Ohio Valley Conference is a solid run for the Tennessee Tech softball team after a tough run last season. The Golden Eagles will look to build on that momentum this weekend as they head to Morehead State for a three-game set starting on Saturday.
The doubleheader on Saturday is slated for a 12 p.m. Central start, while the single game on Sunday is scheduled for an 11 a.m. Central first pitch. All three games will be streamed on ESPN+.
Tech (12-10 overall, 4-2 OVC) claimed series victories over Southern Indiana and Western Illinois to begin the conference slate. Morehead State swept the Golden Eagles last season, but Tech is 6-4 in the last 10 meetings with the Kentucky-based Eagles.
The Golden Eagles, however, are coming into the weekend's games nursing back-to-back losses as the Leathernecks took the finale of the series in Macomb 11-6, then Kennesaw State rallied to take a 5-2 victory on Wednesday.
Morehead State has struggled to get going in OVC play, starting 1-5 in the league as the Eagles won the opener against Tennessee State and has since lost six straight games, including a three-game set at Southern Indiana and a Wednesday midweek game at Western Kentucky. The Eagles stand at 7-12 so far this season.
As a team, MSU is batting .214, driving in 54 runs and scoring 66. Darlene Montoya leads the team with a .358 batting average, seven doubles and 10 RBI. Montoya and Trinity Spear (.237, team-best three HR, seven RBI) each lead the team in runs scored with 11, while Sela Pickford has crossed the plate 10 times.
In the circle, Morehead has a 4.82 earned run average with 67 walks and 62 strikeouts with opponents hitting .290. Addie Stern has MSU's top ERA with a 3.94 mark, but has been tagged with a 3-9 record in 17 appearances. She leads the team in strikeouts with 38. Jessie Begley (4-2, 5.85 ERA) has seen the most starts this season with 10.
With a big improvement on last season, the Golden Eagles' pitching stands nearly a run better in ERA with a 3.96 mark, walking 62 and striking out 94. Emily York presently has the team's best ERA with a 1.57 average, coming in primarily as a reliever with one start in 15 appearances. York has allowed 16 runs – 10 earned – in 44 2/3 innings with eight walks and 34 strikeouts.
Payton Wagner (4-1, 2.72 ERA) has seen the most starts in the circle with nine with former Morehead State hurler Lennon Spicer (3-6, 5.79 ERA) and Faith Rush (1-3, 7.29 ERA) providing quality innings for the Golden Eagles. As a team, opponents are hitting .303 on Tech's pitchers.
Offensively, the Golden Eagles are hitting .297 with 98 RBI and 107 runs scored. Carmen Betts leads the way with a .400 average, driving in 20 runs. While she is still looking for her first home run of the season, Betts is still producing runs in a big way.
Newcomer Sydney Kirby (.297) has also driven in 16 runs, while Abby Shoulders (.278) has 14 RBI. The return of Mac Fitzgerald (.282) from injury has also been a boon for the Golden Eagles as she leads the team in runs scored (17) and stolen bases (16-for-16). Shoulders has scored 16 times and has nine steals as well.
Rush has gone yard twice, while Fitzgerald, Shoulders and Meaghan Houk account for the other Tech home runs this season.
Following the series against Morehead, the Golden Eagles will head to East Tennessee State for a single game on Wednesday, then return home on Friday for an Easter weekend series against Lindenwood.
